1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cylindrical protective cover for umbrellas, adapted to cover an umbrella cloth as a whole and house the same therein when an umbrella is closed, and an umbrella with the same protective cover fixed thereto, and more particularly to an expansible, cylindrical protective cover for umbrellas, adapted to be fixed to a handle of an umbrella when the umbrella is in use, the protective cover being removed from the handle and fixed to a ferrule when the umbrella is closed with an umbrella cloth housed in the protective cover, the protective cover being then slid from the ferrule toward the handle and covering the umbrella cloth as a whole therewith and house the same therein, and an umbrella with the same umbrella protecting cover fixed thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
When an umbrella wetted with rainwater is closed and carried as it is into the inside of a house and a car, the raindrops frequently wetted the interior thereof, caused an unexpected accident, or wetted the clothes of other person and gave the person an unpleasant feeling. In order to avoid such inconveniences, a user buys a waterproof umbrella cover and carries it with him. At an entrance of a large-sized store, for example, a department store, etc., vinyl bags are prepared, consideration is given to customers wetted umbrella so that such umbrellas are held therein.
However, when an umbrella is wetted with rainwater with the user not carrying such a waterproof holder with him, he unavoidably enters the inside of a house or a car carrying the wetted umbrella with him, so that a failure to keep a floor surface and a seat not wetted could not be avoided. Under the circumstances, so-called inversely closing umbrellas formed so that a wetted umbrella cloth thereof is not exposed to an outer surface of the umbrella have recently been proposed, and some of them have been put to practical use.
To be concrete, when a just-used umbrella is closed, free end portions of main ribs over which an umbrella cloth of the umbrella is extended are usually folded toward a handle, and the umbrella cloth extended over the main ribs is folded with a wetted surface thereof directed to the outside. However, an inversely closing umbrella is formed so that free end portions of main ribs or support ribs are reversed and folded toward a ferrule. Therefore, an umbrella cloth extended over the main ribs is folded so that a wetted outer surface thereof is directed inward. Accordingly, the wetted portion of the umbrella cloth is not positioned on an outer surface thereof.
Owing to the above-described structure, the inconveniences brought about by the wetted surface of the umbrella cloth are effectively eliminated. However, the raindrops flowing down along the main ribs or support ribs to the free end portions thereof cannot be completely stopped even when the raindrops are swished off as strongly as possible by a centrifugal force generated by shaking the umbrella. Although the outer surface of the wetted umbrella cloth is housed so as to face the inner side, the rear surfaces of the main ribs or support ribs appear partly on the outer side. Therefore, further improvements on the umbrella including measures to cover such exposed portions as mentioned above of the rear surfaces of these ribs have been demanded.
Under the circumstances, a cylindrical protective cover of an expansible structure for umbrellas, formed by telescopically connecting together a plurality of short cylinders of a resin of different diameters, fixed at a larger-diameter cylinder to a ferrule, and adapted to house an umbrella cloth as a whole therein when an umbrella is closed, by sliding the protective cover toward a handle has been proposed and put on the market. (Refer to Japanese Patent No. 2676418.)
This protective cover for umbrellas is fixed firmly to a ferrule of an umbrella, and adapted to cover an umbrella cloth as a whole therewith by sliding cylindrical fitted portions of the protective cover, and thereby protect the umbrella cloth. Therefore, a wetted umbrella cloth is completely housed in the cover, and the raindrops leaking out along the ferrule became possible to be shut off substantially completely. However, since the protective cover of this structure is fixed to the ferrule completely, the cover cannot be removed. For example, when the umbrella is inserted into and withdrawn from an umbrella stand and the like, the protective cover fixed to the portion of the umbrella which is in the vicinity of the ferrule hinders such umbrella inserting and withdrawing actions unexpectedly. Also when the umbrella is in use, the protective cover left fixed to the portion of the umbrella which is in the vicinity of the ferrule generates a large moment, and an inertial force exerts greatly on the umbrella to make a user feel that the umbrella is weightier than he expected. These have been large problems solutions of which have been hoped for.
The present invention made so as to solve these problems provides (1) an expansible protective cover for umbrellas, adapted to house and protect, after an umbrella cloth is folded by closing a just-used umbrella, the umbrella cloth in and by the protective cover, the protective cover having the characteristic structural requirements of fixing the protective cover to a handle of the umbrella when the umbrella is in use, removing the protective cover from the handle when the umbrella cloth starts being housed therein, fixing the cover to a ferrule-side portion, and then covering the umbrella cloth as a whole and thereby housing the umbrella cloth in the protective cover.
The present invention also provides (2) a protective cover for umbrellas, having an expansible structure formed by telescopically connecting together a plurality of short cylinders of different diameters so that the protective cover is turned into a cylinder of a length large enough to cover a folded umbrella cloth as a whole when the cover is expanded, and into a short, partly frusto-conically-shaped cylinder when the cover is contracted, the protective cover having the characteristic structural requirements of forming a female thread in an inner circumferential surface of a cylinder of a minimum diameter so that the female thread is engaged with a male thread formed on one of corresponding portions of the handle and the ferrule of the umbrella.
The present invention further provides (3) a detachable function-carrying protective cover for umbrellas in accordance with the invention (2) above, which has a preferable mode of embodiment, in which, when the umbrella cloth is housed in the cylindrical umbrella protecting cover removed from the handle is engaged with the male thread provided on the ferrule-side portion with a larger-diameter cylindrical portion directed toward the handle so as to cover the folded umbrella cloth therein, the umbrella cloth as a whole being housed in the cover by sliding the protective cover toward the handle.
The present invention further provides (4) an umbrella with a protective cover fixed thereto, formed so that, when the umbrella is closed, free end portions of main ribs or support ribs over which an umbrella cloth is extended are folded toward a ferrule, the umbrella cloth being thereby folded with an outer surface thereof directed inward, the umbrella having the characteristic structural requirements of combining the protective cover with the umbrella in one body by engaging a cylindrical portion of the protective cover when a larger-diameter cylindrical portion of the cylindrical umbrella protecting cover is fixed to a handle with a male thread provided on a handle with the same cylindrical portion directed toward a ferrule; and housing the inversely folded umbrella cloth as a whole in the protective cover by sliding the protective cover as it is toward the ferrule.
The present invention also provides (5) an umbrella including a shaft rod having a ferrule provided on one end thereof, and a handle fixed to the other, a frame which is moved slidingly toward the ferrule when the umbrella is opened, and toward the handle when the umbrella is closed, and which is fitted around the shaft rod and retained thereon by a resilient locking device, a plurality of elastic support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to the frame and extended symmetrically with respect to the axis of the shaft rod, auxiliary support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to the ferrule, extended along the corresponding elastic support ribs respectively and connected pivotably at the other end of each thereof to the elastic support ribs, and an umbrella cloth extended so as to cover the outer sides of the auxiliary support ribs and elastic support ribs, the umbrella having the characteristic structural requirements of fixing a cylindrical umbrella protecting cover to a lower end of the frame in one body with a larger-diameter cylindrical portion of the cover directed toward the ferrule.
The present invention also provides (6) an umbrella including a shaft rod having a ferrule provided on one end thereof and a handle fixed to the other, a lower frame fitted around the shaft rod, and adapted to be moved slidingly to the side of the ferrule by a compression spring when the umbrella is opened, and to the side of the handle when the umbrella is closed, an upper frame fitted around the shaft rod and adapted to be moved slidingly in the vertical direction in accordance with the opening and closing of the umbrella, a plurality of main ribs which are connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a second fulcrum provided on the upper frame, and which are extended symmetrically with respect to the axis of the shaft rod, first support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a first fulcrum provided on the side of the ferrule, extended along the corresponding main ribs respectively and connected at the other end of each thereof to first support shafts provided on the main ribs, second support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a third fulcrum provided on the lower frame, extended along the corresponding main ribs respectively and connected pivotably at the other end of each thereof to second support shafts provided on the portions of the main ribs which are closer to the shaft rod than to the first support shafts, and an umbrella cloth extended so as to cover the outer sides of the first support ribs and main ribs, the umbrella having the characteristic structural requirements of fixing the cylindrical umbrella protecting cover to a lower end of the lower frame with a larger-diameter cylindrical portion thereof directed toward the ferrule.
The present invention further provides (7) an umbrella including a shaft rod having a ferrule provided on one end thereof, and a handle fixed to the other, a lower frame fitted around the shaft rod, and adapted to be moved slidingly to the side of the ferrule by a compression spring when the umbrella is opened, and to the side of the handle when the umbrella is closed, an upper frame fitted around the shaft rod and adapted to be moved slidingly in the vertical direction in accordance with the opening and closing of the umbrella, a plurality of main ribs which are connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a second fulcrum provided on the upper frame, and which are extended symmetrically with respect to the axis of the shaft rod, first support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a first fulcrum provided on the side of the ferrule, extended along the corresponding main ribs respectively and connected at the other end of each thereof to first support shafts provided on the main ribs, second support ribs connected pivotably at one end of each thereof to a third fulcrum provided on the lower frame, extended along the corresponding main ribs respectively and connected pivotably at the other end of each thereof to second support shafts provided on the portions of the main ribs which are closer to the shaft rod than to the first support shafts, and an umbrella cloth extended so as to cover the outer sides of the first support ribs and main ribs, the umbrella having the characteristic structural requirements of fixing the cylindrical umbrella protecting cover to the portion of the handle which is close to the shaft rod with a larger-diameter cylindrical portion thereof directed toward the ferrule.